I've grown spoiled to the Tikka action and trigger, but this rig is on a budget and the two I'm considering are the Howa mini 223 and Ruger american ranch gen 2 in 223. I would prefer not to have to make any upgrades after the fact. So in factory form, considering accuracy, trigger, action smoothness, etc., which of these options would be best to put my Super Hogster A3 on for night hunting out to 150-200 yards max for hogs or coyotes?
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Howa mini 223 vs Ruger American Ranch 223 - NV hunting gun
- Thread starter patriot07
- Start date
The trigger on the American is utilitarian. It does the job but nothing more. It’s not refined at all. A little rough. Plenty of overtravel. Nothing that would cause a miss at typical coyote distances. Overall it’s not bad. Certainly not Gucci. Not as good as CZ. Probably not as good as Tikka (I don’t own a Tikka).
I went the other direction… I am a Tikka fan/owner. I picked a Howa mini in 6.5 Grendel. I have zero complaints. I’ve run the Hornady black through it and it is sub MOA off my tripod. Full transparency, I have not put it on a bench to see what it will do. I feel no discernible difference in the trigger between my Howa Mini vs my Tikka 7mm Rem Mag. I should also note mine was a barreled action from Brownells. So it is in a chassis of my choice, not a factory stock.
Thanks for the info. I can't seem to find the Howa in a short barrel. What I really want is a Howa or Tikka action in a Ruger American Ranch gen 2 configuration....suppose I can wish in one hand and carp in the other and see which fills up first...
This is my Ruger American Predator 204 Ruger coyote rifle set up for day hunting. I swap out my Pulsar for night hunting. I put in a MCarbo trigger spring for $10 and have a nice crisp 2lb trigger. Action is way smoother than my gen 1, and just keeps getting nicer. This target was while getting a zero with Fiochi 40gr, left two were scope adjustments, final 5 shots are in the bull. Other groups were with Hornady 32gr and 40gr. I believe I am the weak link with this rifle and it shoots way better than I expected for $500. No experience with the Howa mini.
I've had both in 6.5G, Howa hands down.
The bolt on the Ruger locked up within the 1st 10 rounds, had to beat it open with a mallet. (Guess my purse wasn't heavy enough!) Sent it in, Ruger fixed it, but the action was always rough. Sold it.
Got the Howa as a b/a from Brownells, put it in a Boyd's At-One, and shot it. Never had an issue, shot MOA or a little better with Hornady Custom 123s. I had to downsize and it got sold.
Neither trigger was great. Ruger was serviceable, Howa was better.
The bolt on the Ruger locked up within the 1st 10 rounds, had to beat it open with a mallet. (Guess my purse wasn't heavy enough!) Sent it in, Ruger fixed it, but the action was always rough. Sold it.
Got the Howa as a b/a from Brownells, put it in a Boyd's At-One, and shot it. Never had an issue, shot MOA or a little better with Hornady Custom 123s. I had to downsize and it got sold.
Neither trigger was great. Ruger was serviceable, Howa was better.
The howa is a very well built rifle and is probably going to be the best of the two. Which particular model are you seeing? Care to share the link?
The plastic mags and bottom plastic are alright on it. I know you said you want it as is from its factory configuration. It will work as such, but perhaps some time down the road you could upgrade those. Aside from that, the howa is great. I have 2 minis and one full size short action.
The plastic mags and bottom plastic are alright on it. I know you said you want it as is from its factory configuration. It will work as such, but perhaps some time down the road you could upgrade those. Aside from that, the howa is great. I have 2 minis and one full size short action.
I used this Caldwell picatinny rail attachment which utilized the sling swivel. https://www.caldwellshooting.com/re...sts/bipods/pic-rail-adaptor-plate/156716.html
I have them on two of my hunting rifles and have had no issues with them. I also tried the AccuTac sling swivel attachment which I didn’t care for. It was just too obtrusive and got in my way. The reviews on the Caldwell attachment gave me pause, but I have been using them for a while without issue. I decided to try this method as I didn’t want to make any permanent modifications until I could see if this would work for me. Also, I am using this on hunting rifles, not a 25lb PRS rifle.
I have them on two of my hunting rifles and have had no issues with them. I also tried the AccuTac sling swivel attachment which I didn’t care for. It was just too obtrusive and got in my way. The reviews on the Caldwell attachment gave me pause, but I have been using them for a while without issue. I decided to try this method as I didn’t want to make any permanent modifications until I could see if this would work for me. Also, I am using this on hunting rifles, not a 25lb PRS rifle.
I’m able to pull off 5 shots like this at 100 on the regular with my Gen 2 6 arc.
Throw a lighter spring in the trigger and it’s not bad at all.
Groups out of my Gen 2 300blk
Throw a lighter spring in the trigger and it’s not bad at all.
Groups out of my Gen 2 300blk
It is much smoother than gen1. The AR mag variants are still not the smoothest due to the mag. I’ve converted mine to the aics bottom piece and they feed much smoother.
I have a 6arc, 6.5 Grendel, 556 and 300 blk.
Everyone of them have shot .3-.6” groups with handloads or berger factory ammo.
Just out of curiosity because I've looked at the Ruger American in 223, but how do they feed and function running off the AR mags? I like the idea..... if it works. I can't imagine they'd still be selling these if the mags didn't feed, but are there particular mags that work better than others? I'd be using it for a 250 yard on in ground hog getter.
